6:00. >> nightly news with lester holt is next. and we'll see you at 6:00. we have important information. >> on the sunday wind event. breaking news tonight on those raging infernos. a state of emergency declared in california tens of thousands forced to flee in los angeles as flames devour homes and 3 thousands more many getting out with no time to spare and in northern california, a fire in wine countries burns dozens of homes. power companies warning of stephens new blackouts. also a big new tropical storm closing in heavy rains flooding and major travel delays from the gulf coast all the way to the northeast. felicity huffman freed. her surprise release from prison after serving just 11 days of her sentence for her role in the college admissions scandal as another famous parent soon heads tos investigating president trump. plus the new anonymous

trump insider about to release a tell-all book also what rudy giuliani is heard saying in call he didn't know he made to n nbc news and a drone delivery service lifesaving flights already under way. >> announcer: this is "nbc nightly news" with lester holt good evening, everyone tens of thousands of californians have been driven from their homes as major fires burned from one end of the state to another and we're hearing some harrowing stories of survival tonight, many forced to flee to safety through gauntlets of flames as a fire just north of los angeles accelerated overnight, leaping a major freeway. several homes have been destroyed and many schools have been closed as the region braces for more fires and possibly more preemptive power shutdowns. our joe fryer is in the burn zone. >> reporter: across california, the exhausting battle is

far from over. outside los angeles, relentless winds pushed the so-called tick fire through crowded neighborhoods overnight, quickly devouring homes. >> wow i mean, that's the entire hillside. >> reporter: with little notice, 50,000 people were forced to flee the flames. some escape paths through smoke and fire the fowler family grabbing their pets before hitting the road with wind gusts hitting 60 miles an hour, the flames kicked up again, leaping over a highway that was quickly shut down >> the winds are very erratic. when they get going, they really get going. >> reporter: this house here may be a total loss but firefighters are working hard to douse the flames here to make sure the winds don't blow embers from here to another house, sparking another fire. for neighbors, a heartbreaking sight. >> our neighbors came home to that with their little kids. >> reporter: air quality is also suffering, with thick smoke and ash raining

down on millions it's a similar scene in northern california's wine 0 acres yesterday. before the fire, pg&e proactively pulled the power plug on homes and businesses today, power restored. but questions remain about the cause of the fire after pg&e says there was a problem with one of its high voltage transmission towers around the time the fire started now the region is bracing for more windy weather this weekend the utility says preemptive blackouts could impact 850,000 customers. >> we do think it willable the strongest offshore wind event this season by a large margin >> reporter: the danger tonight remains largely in southern california were the tick fire is nowhere near extinguished. the governor has now declared states of emergency for counties pa by these major fires and evacuation orders are in place for tens of thousands here in southern california

which is going to impact shelters that are at capacity already heading into the weekend, lester. >> all right, joe fryer in california, thanks this fire emergency has many on edge there through the weekend, while a tropical storm threatens to bring heavy rain and flooding to the east al roker is tracking it al, what can we expect >> lester, southern california gets a break from these santa anas through the weekend. northern california, saturday night through sunday, 80-mile-per-hour wind gusts, low humidity and heat we're looking at a lot of rain from olga. it's going to also bring severe weather, flash flooding, tornado watches in effect through this evening, through the central gulf mid-mississippi river valley sees upwards of five inches of rain through sunday airport delaysmorr, the northeast's turn for danger and you say tricky weather, lester >> al, thank you a surprise early release from prison for actress felicity huffman today after serving just 11 days for her role in the college admissions cheating scandal here is miguel

almaguer >> reporter: felicity huffman, the actress turned inmate, is free, serving just 11 days in prison of a two-week sentence. the bureau of prisons noting inmates whose released dates fall on a weekend are often let go on the friday preceding it the first parent to report to prison in the college admissions scandal, huffman has now left this sprawling penitentiary for her massive estate in hollywood where she'll begin one year of supervised release and 250 hours of community service. still unclear if the oscar nominee will return to work you don't think felicity huffman's career is over >> i don't i think that she has a lot of opportunity to utilize that reputation that she built over a lifetimr: with moe parents headed to prison -- >> sir, do you want to say anything >> reporter: -- 15 others including lori loughlin and her husband have pleaded not guilty unveiling more

evidence, prosecutors say mossimo giannulli wrote in a man email, i had to work the system after the couple allegedly made their daughter bella look like a rogue recruit tonight, one actress headed towards trial while another is headed home. >> so miguel, huffman is out of prison the other big celebrity name, lori loughlin, what's next to her >> her legal team will be back in court in january. she has two options, either plead guilty and ask for leniency or go to trial >> miguel, thank you tonight, several late breaking developments involving the president including a significant legal win for democrats investigating his actions. we get all of it from nbc's peter alexander. >> reporter: late tonight, a major win for house democrats. a federal judge ruling the justice department must turn over secret evidence from the mueller report because the judge says tdemocrats' impt inquiry is valid that ruling knocking down arguments by the president and his allies that a full house vote was necessary to begin the process. meantime, the president is touting

his justice department's inquiry into itself, focusing on the origins of the russia probe in the 2016 election interference a source familiar with the matter says it's become a criminal investigation. >> i think you'll see things that nobody would have believed. this was the worst hoax in the history of our country. >> reporter: that criminal investigation overseen by attorney general william barr but it's already raising alarms among the president's critics. >> i found the timing interesting, given the increasing heat around the impeachment inquiry. >> reporter: top democrat jerry nadler tweeting, the justice department has now become a vehicle for president trump's political revenge. the investigation will now have the power to subpoena witnesses andfile cri. but it's unclearwho or what potential crimes they're investigating. also tonight, the president dismissing concerns he needs a team to defend him against house democrats' impeachment inquiry. >> here's the thing.

i don't have teams everyone's talking about teams. i'm the team i did nothing wrong. >> reporter: one of president's top defender, personal attorney rudy giuliani tonight raising eyebrows after what's best described as butt-dialing an nbc news reporter. >> the problem is we need some money. we need a few hundred thousand >> on the voice male ukraine is heard discussing the ukraine investigation, the bidens, and the democrats. >> peter, thank you. new details on the anonymous trump administration official who wrote a tell-all book saying the voters should know the truth and is now calling on other senior officials to speak out. andrea andrea h andrea mitchell has that story >> reporter: the anonymous trump administration official writing a book saying too many people have confused loyalty to a man with loyalty to a country

tantalizing hints on the book jacket, claiming you will hear a great deal from donald trump directly for there is no better witness to his character than his own words. anonymous last year wrote a "new york times" column declaring "i am part of the resistance. >> can you believe it, anonymous, meaning a gutless editorial. >> reporter: the author now calling on others to come forward before the election writing, the truth about the president must be spoken hopefully others will remedy the error of silence and choose to speak out. >> anonymous will explain why they need to remain anonymous, but really, come on, just have the courage to come forward and tell us who you are and what you know. that will make the what you know part so much more powerful >> reporter: the author reportedly relied heavily on notes from white house meetings the president, who famously doesn't like note taking, once snapped at national security adviser h.r. mcmaster for writing

in a notebook. former trump staffers say many took notes or drafted memos immediately after meetings with the president in order to protect themselves >> andrea mitchell tonight, thanks. an about-face by the white house now deciding to keep u.s. troops in syria but not to protect our kurdish allies richard engel is there. >> reporter: turkish backed militias are stepping up their attacks on kurdish fighters who now have no american protection for five years, kurdish men and women fought together with u.s. troops against isis partners and allies. among them, this 26-year-old woman. she fought with u.s. forces in some of the toughest battles in her hoshe was swrinjured. this is what happened to her a turkish-backed militia took her prisoner, then posted

it online, laughing as they call her a pig. shouting, slit her throat this is how isis operated, bragging about its abuses her family tonight confirmed it's her in the video and that they've lost contact with her since she went to the front lines last weekend her uncle told us, we fought against isis for the world. now the world has turned its back on us. her grandmother is inconsolable u.s. troops are still in syria, still near to where she was taken. but on orders not to intervene to help the kurds. president trump tweeted again today that american troops' mission is to protect syria's oil fields and defense officials say more troops may soon be deployed to do it the militia that took her claims it's treating her well. her family isn't convinced and says the u.s. he's a responsibility to help its friends, not to

abandon them, lester >> richard engel in syria tonight, thanks. friends, family, and two former presidents packed a baltimore church today for the funeral of elijah, the service highlighting his humble beginnings and remarkable achievements our geoff bennett with more on his legacy >> reporter: elijah cummings remembered today as a violent of congress, reverdict as a champion for civil rights and civility. his funeral brought together his family, former presidents, top politicians, and the people cummings represented. >> like the prophet, our elijah could call down fire from heaven. but he also prayed and worked for healing het never lost his faith >> reporter: people lined up before dawn to say farewell, to honor the son of south carolina sharecroppers who rose to power in washington >> he tried to treat everybody the way he

wanted to be treated you can't run a free society if you have to hate everybody you disagree with. >> there's nothing weak about being honorable. you're not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect >> reporter: former vice president joe biden appearing in public with former president obama for the first time since announcing his 2020 presidential bid what did it mean to the people of baltimore? >> i think he was that light in the darkness. >> he inspired everybody. and so even if you didn't know him, you knew he got your back. >> reporter: a legacy defined by loyalty, cod kindness geoff bennett, nbc news, baltimore. it is back to work at general motors. the united auto workers today approved a new contract after a 40-day strike that cost the automaker more than $2 billion some of the union's 48,000 members are expected to return to work tomorrow with a deal that includes

raises and new job opportunities. a new york city event for actors took an unexpected and dramatic turn this week when performers recognized one high profile guest sitting in the audience, accused sexual predator harvey weinstein. stephanie gosk has details. >> nobody's going to say anything >> reporter: harvey weinstein's night out at a manhattan bar triggered raw emotion. >> i'm going to stand four feet from a rapist and nobody is going to say anything. >> reporter: comedian kelly bachman, herself a rape survivor, was there to do stand-up >> what was your first oud of disbelief, a feeling of being triggered >> reporter: she called weinstein out onstage. >> you know we have to bring ou whistles to after hours. >> reporter: getting boos and then some cheers >> a group therapy for rape survivors they love it, yeah

>> reporter: a spokesperson for the 67-year-old says he was just out with friends, enjoying the music, adding, this scene was uncalled for, downright rude and an example of how due process today is being squashed by the public weinstein pleaded not guilty no five felony charges in new york and has repeatedly denied allegations of nonconsensual sex. >> i don't think he should just get to jump back in to come see life as a respective where he's around young, beautiful actors >> reporter: the trial is set to begin in january but the publicy toward disgraced movie mogul a sign some aren't waiting for a verdict. stephanie gosk, new york ahead, a look at drones making vital deliveries and maybe soon heading to your doorstep and the rise of a new mega mall, the second largest in the country, costing $5 billion. will it live up to its name

next, the new fleet of aircraft already making vital medical deliveries and they may be expanding service right to your doorstep kerry sanders gives us a look >> reporter: it's the nation's newest airline. >> transport to surgery center, flight plan loaded. >> reporter: like the ones we all fly. but this is first faa-certified airline with no one in the cockpit. all the aircraft, drones sherry roberts, commercially rated, a navy veteran who flew spy drones in afghanistan, now the chief pilot of the company best known for its ground delivery trucks >> it's kind of humbling to be at the beginning of the next generation of aviation >> reporter: with 16 scheduled flights a day, drones ferry tissue and blood samples across the wake med hospital campus in raleigh.

flight time, three minutes. >> the old system, it could take hours to get over here. >> reporter: doctors say they now rely on it >> any time you're giving care of a patient, time is a factor >> reporter: ups and cvs now working to one day fly prescription drugs to your house. >> it's kind of trite, but the sky is the limit with drones. that's potentially me being the package and ups picking me up and taking me to work. i like to say, we need a bigger drone >> reporter: drones pushing the envelope again. kerry sanders, nbc news, raleigh. up next tonight, they're calling this new mega mall the american dream but will it be worth the $5 billion price tag? announcer: 5 million kids use e-cigarettes. it's an

epidemic fueled by juul with their kid-friendly flavors. san francisco voters stopped the sale of flavored e-cigarettes. but then juul, backed by big tobacco, wrote prop c to weaken e-cigarette protections. the san francisco chronicle reports prop c is an audacious overreach, threatening to overturn the ban on flavored products approved by voters. prop c means more kids vaping. that's a dangerous idea. vote no on juul. no on big tobacco. no on prop c. would you go to the mall t slide hopes are highorw mega mall. but will it be worth the $5 billion gamble? here is kathy park >> reporter: this american dream took 15

years and it's still not complete >> it has been a long time, on and off >> reporter: a former swamp in east rutherford, new jersey, is now home to a 3 million square foot megamall, featuring a skating rink and 300 shops, becoming the second largest mall in the country. but it's a risky bet for developers who anticipate 40 million visitors newly, double the number for disney's magic kingdom. the $5 billion complex broke ground in 2004, challenged with changing owners and a recession. now it's competing to be the next big tourist destination to fulfill an ambitious dream. kathy park, nbc news, new york up next, the new film revealing the secrets of one of the nation's most daring women.

hollywood is taking notice of a real superhero, highlighting the power and perseverance of harriet tubman rehema ellis now on an american icon. >> i made it this far on my own. don't you tell me what i can't do >> reporter: the movie "harriet" is based on the gripping real life story of harriet tubman, an uneducated black woman who escaped from slavery and made it her mission to rescue others an award winning actress stars as the tough, determined harriet. how important is this movie right now? >> it's extremely important because of where we are in the world. she serves as a huge example of how much power we hold as individuals. >> by some miraculous means, you have made it 100 miles to freedom. >> reporter: leslie

odom jr. plays an abolitionist who helps tubman through the underground railroad >> these are our stories. we have to tell them again and again. >> reporter: tubman was born around 1820 into bondage and was enslaved on this farm in maryland. she married but when tubman learned she was about to be sold and separated from her husband, she fled. >> i'm going to free or dead. >> reporter: despite being hunted, she went back to the house more than a dozen times, rescuing 70 people and helped free hundreds during the civil war fourth graders at the harriet tubman school in buffalo learn lessons from her life. >> it tells me to treat people better. >> reporter: at the movie's premier, proud descendants. >> there isn't anybody who can't take something away from what she did, women, girls, men, anybody. >> reporter: a slave

turned freedom fighter and american hero. rehema ellis, nbc news, new york >> so great to see her story told on the big screen that's "nightly news" this friday. i'm lester holt. for all of us as nbc news, thank you for watching and good night. right now at 6:00, a flare up of the kinkaide fire. the race to try to contain the flames. >> the fire is bringing a lot of smoke creating poor air quality in parts of the bay area. we'll tell you the reason the health officials say those n-95 masks do more harm than good. another round of bay area blackouts. pg&e warning million offense people to be ready because they will be in the dark this weekend as the high fire danger goes on an up tick. thanks so much for joining us.

>> the bay area is planned for another planned pg&e outage. it says the scope of the shut off is what it is because of the extreme nature of the weather heading our way. let's dip into the news conference so you can hear. >> we have a dial in line. we have mikes in the room. we want to hear the question on the phone line. anybody have questions for us? >> hi. i'm with the san francisco chronicle. of the 1,000 customers that are still without power in sonoma, how many of them are expected to have power restored before the second shut off go into place? >> that's a good question.